1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data recording and reproduction apparatus, and a method and a system for sending out data, which respectively are applied preferably to such appliances as a video data sending device for sending out video sources for use in commercials, broadcast programs, etc. More particularly, the invention relates to a data recording and reproduction apparatus, and a method and a system for sending out data, wherein material code constituting identification code to video signal is inserted into the video signal constituting the video source, and the video source thus obtained is stored into randomly accessible storage means so that simply extracting material code from the stored video source permits generation of history information about video source output.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automatic cassette changer apparatus utilizing VTR (video tape recorder) as video source storing means have been used extensively as a video data sending system for sending out video source for use in commercials and broadcast programs etc. Respective video sources are recorded on video cassette tapes that are stored on cassette racks inside the automatic cassette changer apparatus. When, say, a commercial is to be broadcast, an appropriate video cassette tape is retrieved from the cassette racks and its contents are reproduced so as to send out video signals of the commercial in question.
Such video data sending device generates output history information (log file) that is used for subsequent verification of actually broadcast programs including commercial video signals in particular (broadcast verification) The output history information utilizes material codes assigned to the respective video sources as material identification information. The material code is superimposed on the video source.
Generally, material codes are inserted into specific lines using vertical retrace period thereof. When video sources are reproduced, the material codes superimposed thereon are reproduced, extracted and separated so as to generate the output history information. A search through the output history information permits verification of specific video sources and of the times at which the video sources have been actually sent out. This provides an easy confirmation that specific commercial has been actually broadcast.
Where the automatic cassette changer apparatus utilizes VTR as storage means as mentioned above, video sources are recorded as composite signals (digital video signals) on VTR. This means that blanking signals are recorded simultaneously with the video sources.
Because material codes are inserted into specific lines of blanking signals, it is possible to record on the VTR the entire video sources with their material codes included therein. It is then relatively easy to generate output history information by extracting and separating the material codes from the video sources while said video sources are being reproduced.
Today, there is a growing tendency to store video sources in mass storage means using randomly accessible storage media (such as hard disks) Where the above video sources are stored using such storage means, only the video signals, which are free of blanking signal portions, are stored as the video source. That is because the video sources are subject to data processing such as video signal compression before being stored into the storage means.
With no material code for identification of the video sources included in the video sources, there is no way of conventionally detecting material codes for identifying the video sources even when the video sources are retrieved. No output history information can be generated from such video sources.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above and other deficiencies of the related art and to provide a data recording and reproduction apparatus, and a method and a system for sending out data, wherein, when randomly accessible storage means is used, material codes or the like are inserted into video sources so that history information of actually sending out commercials and broadcast programs etc., is easily generated.
In carrying out the invention and according to one aspect thereof, there is provided a data recording and reproduction apparatus for recording and/or reproducing data. The apparatus comprises nonlinear accessible recording media, a plurality of input and output processing means for adding to the data an identification code of the data with time slots respectively assigned thereto, outputting the added data to the recording media and reading out from the recording media the data recorded on the recording media with the same time slots as the above, extracting means for extracting the identification code output as sending data from the input and output processing means and included in the sending data, and history information generating means for generating history information constituted by the identification code extracted from the extracting means, said identification code including a sending time.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for sending out data. The system comprises nonlinear accessible storage media for storing the data, a plurality of input and output processing means, a data recording and reproduction apparatus for recording the data on the recording media by allowing the plurality of input and output processing means to obtain access to the recording media with time slots respectively assigned thereto and for reading out from the recording media the data recorded thereon, extracting means for receiving the data output from the data recording and reproduction means and for extracting from the data an identification code of and sending time of the data to be sent out, history information generating means for generating history information from the identification code and the sending time extracted by the extracting means, and sending means for receiving the data output from the data recording and reproduction means and for sending out the received data to an external.
According to further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for sending out data. In the method, nonlinear accessible recording media and a plurality of input and output processing means are used. The plurality of input and output processing means get access to the recording media with respectively time slots assigned thereto to record the data on the recording media and read out from the recording media the data recorded thereon to send out the data. The method comprises preferably adding an identification code of material data to the material data and recording the material data containing the identification code on the recording media, said material data being output from the plurality of input and output processing means and being data of a predetermined unit, reading out from the recording media the material data recorded thereon with the same time slots assigned thereto as the above and outputting the read material data, extracting the identification code of the material data from the output material data, generating history information composed of the extracted identification code and the sending time of the material data.
After video signals are compressed, the invention allows the material code, namely identification code of the video data, to be inserted into the compressed video signals. Thus, storage means stores the video data containing the material codes.
The material codes are separated from the video data when the latter are read out from the storage means. The separated material codes may then be used to generate output history information. Therefore, this invention provides a data recording and reproduction apparatus, and a method and a system for sending out data, whereby the history information of actually sending out commercials and broadcast programs etc., is easily generated.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the following description and appended drawings.